I just brewed my first batch of beer Friday evening. I decided to start off with a lager. I followed the directions to a "T". I used a starter wort for the liquid yeast and let it sit for 48 hours. My original hydrometer reading was 1.072. The temp of the wort was 60 degrees. From what I have read, that is really high. I started fermenting at 60 degrees. It started bubbling pretty much right away. I read somewhere to start a lager off around that temp. After reading some other info I found out I should have started fermenting at around 45 degrees. Sunday afternoon I moved the carboy to the fridge and have kept the temp at 45 degrees. As of now it is still bubbling about once every 5 seconds. I decided to take another hydrometer reading and it is now 1.032 at a 60 degree temp. Do the 2 readings make sense after fermenting for 65 hours or so? When should I start the diacetyl rest? When should I transfer into a secondary fermenter? Will this batch of beer turn out ok? I wish I would have started off with an ale since it seems a little easier for a first time brewer. I guess my biggest concerns are that I let it ferment at first for 40 hours at a temp of 60 degrees and the difference in the readings just after 65 hours. I thank you all in advance for the help!!!
Brian
Brian